Three years before the Olympics, in 1981, Kimball was struck
head-on by a drunken driver. Every bone in his face was fractured,
his left leg broken, the ligaments in his knee torn, his liver was
lacerated, and his spleen had to be removed. This being one of the
worst experiences of his life, he did come back to diving. When he
returned to diving nine months later, he earned the nickname "The
Comeback Kid".

At the 1984 Summer Olympics, he overtook Li Kongzheng with his final dive to win
the silver medal.

On August 1, 1988, two weeks before the U.S. Olympic diving
trials, Kimball, drunk, plowed into a crowd of teenagers while
driving an estimated 70 to 90 miles per hour, killing two boys and
injuring four others. Despite the tragedy, Kimball took part in the
trials, but failed to make the team. He subsequently pleaded guilty
to vehicular manslaughter and was sentenced to 17 years in prison.
He was released on 24 November 1993, after serving less than five.
As a part of his sentence, his driving privileges were permanently
revoked by Judge Harry Lee Coe.

Shortly before Christmas 2004 after an appeal to the Secretary of State of Illinois, it was
found that he can apply for an Illinois drivers license. However, according
to Florida authorities, his
driving privileges are still revoked but he can apply for a
hardship license which allows driving for business purposes and
other purposes.

He is currently a Kinetic Wellness teacher and diving coach for
the swimming and diving teams at New Trier High School, Winnetka,
Illinois. As of 2008, he is married and has three children. His
father is Dick
Kimball, who coached nine divers to Olympic medals.